1. Field
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to flow control in multiflow environments.
2. Background
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. One example of such a network is the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The UTRAN is the radio access network (RAN) defined as a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a third generation (3G) mobile phone technology supported by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The UMTS, which is the successor to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technologies, currently supports various air interface standards, such as Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Time Division—Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), and Time Division—Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA). The UMTS also supports enhanced 3G data communications protocols, such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), which provides higher data transfer speeds and capacity to associated UMTS networks.
As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, research and development continue to advance the UMTS technologies not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications.
Furthermore, some modern wireless communication systems can support multiflow communications, wherein a user equipment (UE) operating in the wireless communication system may simultaneously communicate with more than one NodeB via more than one flow. Such multiflow functionality increases data rates, thereby providing the UE user with a pleasant communication experience.
Legacy multiflow communications systems, methods, and apparatuses, however, have only allowed for UE communication with NodeBs that are controlled by the same radio network controller (RNC). Therefore, where a multiflow-capable UE communicating with a serving NodeB is in range of a second NodeB controlled by an RNC different than the RNC controlling the serving NodeB, the UE may not take advantage of its multiflow capability.
Thus, methods and apparatuses are needed to improve multiflow functionality in inter-RNC situations.